Jongho groaned as the morning sun shined blindingly through the window, preventing him from getting any additional sleep. He held up his hand in a sleepy attempt to block the sunlight blaring directly against his eyelids, but there was no use. He was awake and he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

He decided that he might as well start his day. He pushed himself out of bed, and stretched his limbs, feeling his bones crack in the process. He lets out another groan. His body aches from all of the projects around the house he's been working on.

The youngest pack member has recently become one of the first one's to wake up, so he wasn't surprised to notice the rest of the house was completely silent. Though Hongjoong was currently out to do an early dawn perimeter check. There was always someone alert.

When he pushed open the curtain separating his space from the living room, San was still in a deep slumber on the couch, snuggling his pillow against his chest while he dreamed. On quiet feet, Jongho moved toward the kitchen to make his breakfast.

He's volunteered to the early morning patrol almost every day to be able to avoid eating breakfast with everyone. On the days it's his turn to do the early dawn check, he tends to stay out longer for the same reason.

Toast was the easiest thing to prepare this early in the morning, so he popped two pieces of bread in the toaster. Still feeling a little heavy with sleep, he rubbed his eyes, blurring his vision for a moment. He could hear footsteps approaching.

At first he could only see his silhouette, but then as his vision returned, he could see the Omega's features clearly. He would be able to recognize his beautiful features from a mile away, but only this close he could smell his glorious vanilla scent.

Jongho froze, as he always does now while facing him, and looked away. Yeosang looked as though he was wanting to say something, but he couldn't settle on the right words. He fidgeted with his hands. Jongho refused to look into the older boy's longing eyes because he knew he'd become lost in them, which wouldn't benefit him right now.

The silence in the room was deafening, at least until the jolting sound of the toast springing up interrupted it.

Yeosang held out a hand, "Jongho, wait, I-"

The Beta grabbed his toast, not bothering to put any butter or jam on it, and hurried out the front door. He needed to take a run.

Jongho knew he was being pathetic and cruel, but ever since the Omega disclosed the news of his pregnancy, he can't even be in the same room with him without wanting to cry, or maybe scream. Jongho knew he was being a horrible friend, especially at a terribly vulnerable time for Yeosang, but there was something about it that just made his chest ache. He felt suffocated.

Hongjoong was on his way back to the house as Jongho passed by him. The leader raised an eyebrow when he noticed the grimace on the younger's face and the half eaten piece of toast in his hand, but Jongho didn't pay him any mind, choosing to scarf the rest down and strip to shift, running faster toward the borders.

It wasn't the Omega's fault, and Jongjo was perfectly aware of that, which made him feel even worse for ignoring him. But there were several things Jongho was trying to work out in his mind, and he needed to be able to do so alone.

The first one was obvious. There was clearly a connection between the two that surpassed that of just a platonic relationship. There were deeper feelings involved. Anyone would notice if they watched an interaction between the two. The rest of the pack knew, especially Seonghwa.

Before the pregnancy announcement, Jongho had considered asking the Omega to officially court him. He was already planning a special way to ask Yeosang, but those plans have now been stunted... there's a literal bump in the road.

What Jongho really needed to wrap his head around was why it bothered him so much. Yeosang was artificially inseminated with an unknown Alpha's sperm. He was never taken by another wolf, so it wasn't that. It wasn't like Jongho felt that Yeosang had lost any sense of his innocence from this. The Omega was just as delicately and beautifully pure to him as before.

So what was it?

The large Beta huffed as he sniffed around the edge of their territory, not noticing any abnormalities, which is their daily hope. The only scents he was picking up on that weren't of their own pack were Mingi and Yunho's, but Jongho has grown fairly used to them.

During the last hour of his scheduled patrol, he continued to think about his old Omega friend. He seemed to be the only thing Jongho was thinking about anymore. He couldn't get his distraught face from the day he admitted his pregnancy or the saddened look he wore every time he faced Jongho out of his memory, like they were permanently embedded there.

Jongho thought about the baby. Was he angry at the baby? No, that wasn't it. It wasn't the baby's fault, and Yeosang didn't blame them either. But when thinking about the child in Yeosang's womb, there was something that hurt him...

Maybe it was because the fertility lab gave Yeosang something that Jongho would never be able to give him himself.

Even if Yeosang accepted Jongho's proposal to possibly mate someday, Jongho would never be able to give Yeosang a child that was biologically his. As a Beta, it wasn't possible. Beta's are sterile in every type of way. He cannot reproduce, but Yeosang can with an Alpha.

Besides, would Yeosang even be interested in mating with him while having an Alpha's baby? Would a mere Beta be good enough for him? Jongho didn't want to face that sort of rejection. It was easier to just avoid Yeosang for now.

Jongho didn't return to the house until he knew everyone else would be busy with their own tasks. San was the next to be on guard. Hongjoong was working outside on a possible addition for the house, which Jongho intended on helping him with later. Seonghwa was tending to the garden, while Yeosang was most likely cleaning up after breakfast.

Normally, Jongho would take this time to hop in the shower, but he didn't see the point if he was only going to become filthy again after helping Hongjoong with another project. But he at least wanted to change.

He hurried to his room, and slipped on a new t-shirt and shorts. On his way back out, something in the living room caught his attention.

San's bag was sitting on top of the couch, and he was instantly brought back to the day he had discovered the cell phone. His curiosity grew, and he couldn't stop himself when he decided to have another look.

But this time, Jongho didn't see it. It wasn't tucked away in the same pocket anymore.

He began to search through the Alpha's belongings, knowing that this was definitely an invasion of the male's privacy, but he couldn't be bothered. It wasn't there.

Jongho knew this was something he should mention to Hongjoong immediately, but the leader could be irrational at times. So he wanted to confront San personally first.

----------

"God, Mingi! I don't know what to do!" Yunho whined as he buried his face in his hands, rubbing them up and down. "They've been so kind and gracious to us. I don't want to leave! We have nowhere to go! Do you think they'd be understanding if we told them the truth?"

The mated couple were having this argument at least once a day ever since Wooyoung's surprising arrival. It has been several weeks, but they could never agree on a solution.

The truth was that neither of them wanted to leave. Hongjoong and the rest of the pack have been incredibly welcoming ever since their dinner. Things have completely shifted ever since they first arrived on the property.

Now everyday, while on perimeter checks or on their way out hunting, Hongjoong and San greeted the couple by waving or coming up to say hello, Seonghwa comes by often to bring them goodies he and Yeosang have baked, and Jongho came by recently to help them replace a light bulb that had gone out in the cabin of their truck. Hongjoong has even started inviting Mingi to go on hunts with him.

The wolves of this pack were good, and Mingi and Yunho wanted to surround themselves with good company.

But the problem was the wolf named Wooyoung.

"They'll just ask us to leave. We're wanted in Supreme City. If they come this way looking for us, it will put them in danger too." Mingi huffed, clear stress in his voice. They should have left before now, and he knows it. "If that Omega sees us and recognizes us, our cover will be blown, and we will have to tell them. We can't take any chances, Yunho!"

The older shook as the guilt and fear weighed him down once more. Mingi pulled him down onto the bed, snuggling his mate against him.

"I'm so tired of feeling this way... of living this way." Yunho spoke in a whisper. "I regret the impulsive decision I made at the facility that day, and if I could take it back I would. But the next time, I would come prepared so they wouldn't know it was us. I would do it the right way, rather than endangering them even more... You saw the state he was in, r-right?" The last sentence was choppy as he struggled to get the words out.

The Alpha nodded, tightening his grip on Yunho's waist. He saw his body covered in marks.

"I did that, Mingi," he cried. "He's in that state because I wasn't able to protect-"

"That's not true." Mingi mumbled. "He did not look like that when you were with him at the facility. The fact that he's even here means that he wasn't captured by the guards. Something happened afterwards and that had nothing to do with you. Whatever occurred was completely out of your control."

Yunho didn't look convinced. He bit his lip, fighting back the sobs that wanted to escape from him.

"You heard Hongjoong and Seonghwa when they told us about their rescues. The Omegas they free choose to go off on their own. Even if things had been more organized, we can't be sure that Wooyoung wouldn't have ended up in the same situation." Mingi tried.

The Beta sniffled, curling in to his Alpha's side more if that was even possible. "Should we let them know we're leaving soon then?"

Mingi sighed, but the answer was clear. "We're leaving not only for us, but for them too. We'll let them know tonight, and we'll head out in the morning."

Yunho stayed silent. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he couldn't help but be sad.

"Hey," Mingi whispered. He tilted Yunho's chin so that he was looking up at him. "I love you. We will get through this."

"I know... I love you too."

Mingi leaned forward, capturing Yunho's lips in a delicate kiss. They stayed like this for a moment, kissing sweetly, until a knock on the door interrupted them.

They pulled away with pink dusting their cheeks. Mingi cleared his throat and answered the door to see Hongjoong standing there with a large grin on his face.

"Hey, I have something I wanted to ask you both. Can I come inside?"

~~~~~~~~~~

I really hope this chapter wasn't boring. I'm trying to put the story together, and I'm honestly struggling.

What do you guys think Hongjoong wants to ask? What do you guys think Mingi and Yunho should do?

Please vote and comment to let me know what you all think!

-Sydney <3